1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a control system for an occupant restraint system arranged to protect a vehicle occupant at a vehicle collision.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of control systems for an occupant restraint system have been proposed and put into practical use in the field of automotive vehicle. The occupant restraint system includes an airbag and/or a seat belt assembly to protect a vehicle occupant from coming into direct contact with a steering wheel and/or a windshield. One type of control systems is arranged to operate the occupant restraint system to protect the vehicle occupant when a deceleration detected by a deceleration sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold level. Another type of control system is arranged to operate the occupant restraint system when an integrated value reaches a predetermined threshold level, the integrated value being obtained by integrating a value obtained by subtracting an integration offset from a deceleration of the vehicle, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 63-503531.
However, the above conventional control systems require delicate adjustment of the threshold level and/or the integration offset in accordance with a variety of modes of vehicle collision. This makes the adjustment of the control system complicated, requiring a long time for the adjustment.